I have returned from my trip to Costa Rica! Typically I don’t write about my personal experiences on this blog, but I’ve decided to try a photo journal style entry this time. Don’t worry, your regular nerd posts will resume shortly. As always, click the photo to go to the Flickr page. From there you can view any photo in much larger sizes. Be sure to view the set in its entirety as well.

Sunday, January 24

This bird was sitting near the patio of my hotel room in the morning

A boy picks something out of the water at sunset on the beach

Monday, January 25

Barbed wire coiled on a trail 3km from Arenal Volcano

The skeleton of a leaf impaled on a broken post

Tuesday, January 26

An early morning finds a mother monkey and her child running across the branches

The mast of a catamaran juts up towards the waxing moon

Night falls on the beach near Tamarindo

Wednesday, January 27

A bird rests on a downed palm. Seen from a small boat down a river in Palo Verde National Park

A crocodile suns itself near the bank.

Birds liked to stay hidden within the dense trees lining the water.

To see more from each day (31 total) view the entire set.

Having just returned from a trip to Canada I have now experienced the new TSA security theater¹ for flights inbound to the US from abroad. Hopefully your own experience will not mirror mine, but if these restrictions stay in place this post could be helpful to some.²

At check-in we discovered that the TSA will allow outbound flights to take backpacks and carry-ons, but when coming back into the country you must check them. In my case I was required to check both my backpack and my suitcase. This incurred a $20 charge for something I was forced to do, but the agent “generously” allowed me to check my backpack for free. Since that backpack was explicitly designed to hold only my laptop and camera equipment I had to pick a lens, attach it to my camera body, grab my (bare) laptop, and hope the rest of my equipment wasn’t damaged.

Once we dropped off our bags we entered the actual screening line. The staff there announced that each passenger would have their personal effects individually inspected and then they would undergo a body search. My agent searched through the belongings I had left (cell phone, keys, belt, shoes, wallet, coat, camera, and laptop) relatively thoroughly. She even looked through my wallet. I was informed that the new rules do allow laptop bags as long as they contain nothing but laptop-related equipment, as well as camera bags with the same restriction. Of course, you can’t carry two bags on so that doesn’t help people who need both.

After this I was supposed to receive a pat down search, but since every screener was busy the agent used an alternate method. She instructed me to rub my hands in my pockets and then hold my palms out face up so she could rub a tissue on my hands to check for bomb residue. Once cleared I was allowed to gather my things and proceed to the gate.

On the plane the lack of a case for my camera or laptop became more of an issue. Both overhead and under the seat are difficult locations when your equipment has no protection, but eventually my items were stowed. We were seated in the second to last row of the plane, which became the last when the flight attendants requested that those behind us move to different seats further up. The rationale given for emptying the final row was to help prevent the congregation of people near the lavatory and this rule was strictly enforced. We were also told that we would be required to put away all electronic devices and remain buckled in and seated for the final hour of our flight into Chicago. Anything that could obstruct the lap (such as a coat, blanket, or pillow) had to be stowed overhead or underneath the seat.

Our flight completed without incident³, but these new restrictions aren’t making me feel safer — they’re becoming real obstacles to using air travel.